Punjab special Assembly session begins with tributes; Opposition questions lack of transparency over anti-sacrilege Bill
PTC Web Desk: The Punjab Vidhan Sabha commenced a two-day special session on Wednesday, but the first day's proceedings lasted only 11 minutes. The session opened with tributes to notable personalities and martyrs, following which the House was adjourned until 10 am on July 11.
Among those honoured were Tarn Taran MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal, former Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, noted writer Dr Ratan Singh Jaggi, martyr Naik Surinder Singh, Baljit Singh, victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash, and Sanjay Verma, a textile trader from Abohar.
The session, primarily convened to introduce a stringent law on sacrilege, witnessed political tension even before discussions began. Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa expressed disappointment over the government's approach. “The Bill expected to be introduced tomorrow has not been shared with us. If the government were serious, it would have circulated the Bill a day or two in advance for our review,” he said.
Bajwa demanded that the session be extended to allow for separate debates on law and order and the contentious land pooling Bill. “Our identity has always been ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.’ While PM Narendra Modi has diminished the role of the soldier, this government is about to do the same with the farmer,” he alleged.
Bajwa made claimed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was initially reluctant to approve the land pooling Bill. “The CM knew signing it would backfire. He refused at first, but signed it two hours later. If the Bill is fair, why does it transfer powers to the Chief Secretary? The Chief Secretary will retire within two to three months of the 2027 elections. Who will be held accountable then?” he asked.
Referring to the land acquisition policy framed under late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Bajwa said it mandated farmer consent and environmental impact studies before any land could be acquired. “None of these procedures are being followed now,” he said.
Bajwa warned villagers not to surrender even an inch of land. “They’ve come to loot your villages. Take up your sticks and guard your land. Don’t give them even one marla,” he said. When asked about Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s comment on winning the Nobel Prize, Bajwa sarcastically added, “Let our time come. We’ll hand over the prize to both Kejriwal and Mann together.”
The focus of the special session remains the new legislation on sacrilege, aiming to impose harsher penalties. While the debate continues over whether the punishment should be the death penalty or life imprisonment, sources suggest that despite the presence of provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 298 and 299, the state government is eager to draft its own tougher law.
Any such law, however, will need approval from the Governor and then the President of India. Previous attempts to legislate on the issue had also required presidential assent.
- PTC NEWS
